Security & Authentication

Authentication patterns, authorization strategies, common vulnerabilities, and the security decisions every backend developer faces.

3 posts in Security & Authentication

Security & Authentication|7 min read

Refresh Tokens: Why Your Access Token Should Expire

A stolen access token that lives for 30 days is a 30-day breach. Make it live 15 minutes and you have a new problem: users logged out constantly. Refresh tokens resolve that tension — short-lived access, long-lived renewal — but only if you handle rotation and theft detection right.

refresh tokensauthenticationJWTsecurity

Jun 20, 2026Read

Security & Authentication|12 min read

OAuth2 Flows Explained: Which Flow for Which Use Case

OAuth2 has four grant types and choosing the wrong one creates real security holes. Here's how each flow works, which one fits your application, and why the implicit flow is dead.

oauth2authorization-code-flowpkceclient-credentials

May 7, 2026Read

Security & Authentication|13 min read

Sessions vs JWT: The Auth Token Debate

Sessions store state on the server. JWTs store state in the token itself. One gives you instant revocation. The other gives you stateless scaling. Neither is universally better -- the right choice depends on what you're building.

authenticationJWTsessionssecurity

Mar 12, 2026Read